Tunisia Sets Unwanted World Cup Record

The Tunisian national team has etched its name into World Cup history, albeit in an undesirable fashion. Following their 0-4 defeat to Japan at the 2026 World Cup, the "Carthage Eagles" became the first team ever to lose matches at the same World Cup under two different head coaches.

It all began with a heavy 1-5 loss to Sweden in their opening fixture. A day later, the Tunisian Football Federation dismissed Sabri Lamouchi and appointed Hervé Renard in an attempt to salvage the team's tournament. However, the new coach also started with a defeat – a 0-4 thrashing by Japan, which cemented Tunisia's unique and unwanted World Cup record.

While coaching changes during a World Cup have occurred before, never until now had it resulted in losses under the guidance of two different managers within the same edition of the tournament.

The first such instance of a coaching change dates back to the 1954 World Cup, when Scotland's manager, Andy Beattie, resigned after a 0-1 defeat to Austria. The team went on to lose their next match against Uruguay, but under the interim coach Doug Dougal.

The next case emerged in 1998 with Saudi Arabia. After two group stage losses, Carlos Alberto Parreira was relieved of his duties, and Mohammed Al-Kharashy took over for the final match. However, the Saudis managed to secure a 2-2 draw against South Africa, avoiding a defeat under their new coach.

Also at the 1998 World Cup, South Korea replaced Cha Bum-kun after a crushing 0-5 defeat to the Netherlands. Interim coach Kim Pyung-seok led the team in their final game, which ended in a 1-1 draw with Belgium.

At the same tournament, Tunisia also made a coaching change. Following defeats to England and Colombia, Polish specialist Henryk Kasperczak was dismissed, and in the final match, interim coach Ali Selmi guided the team to a 1-1 draw with Romania.

Thus, the situation from the 2026 World Cup remains unprecedented. While all previous teams with mid-tournament coaching changes managed at least to avoid defeat in their first match under the new manager, Tunisia lost under both Sabri Lamouchi and Hervé Renard.